Jaia Cruz indicted in New York murder of U.S. Postal Service mail carrier Ray Hodge III
A 24-year-old transgender New Yorker has been charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of a U.S. mail carrier during his lunch break earlier this month, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said.
The 6-foot-4 suspect, Jaia Cruz, also known as Alvin, allegedly met mailman Ray Hodge III, 36, while waiting in line to order a lunch sandwich on Jan. 2. Ray Hodge III) got into an argument.
Cruz allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed Hodge repeatedly in front of horrified customers, postal colleagues and staff at the restaurant on Lenox Avenue between West 118th and West 119th Streets in Manhattan. .
Postman’s family break silence after dad-of-two was killed during lunchtime
U.S. Postal Service carrier Ray Hodge III delivers the mail in an undated family photo provided by his brother, Ed Rice. (Courtesy of Ed Rice)
Authorities said Hodge suffered stab wounds to his chest, neck and arms.
Cruz was arrested after walking home after the attack.
Suspect who stabbed postal worker in line at New York City deli had history of knife violence
Jaia Cruz, a 24-year-old woman, was arrested and transferred by the New York City Police Department from the 28th Precinct on suspicion of fatally stabbing a postal worker at a deli in Harlem. (Kyle Mazza/SIPA/IMAGN)
Hodge was pronounced dead at Harlem Hospital. The father of two children was described by co-workers at the U.S. Postal Service on social media as a “great, kind soul.”
“We are very hurt and saddened by the loss of our brother,” his brother Ed Rice previously told Fox News Digital. “He was an amazing man who touched a lot of people in a positive way. We remain in mourning. Silence, dealing with my brother’s affairs.”
Cruz has a criminal record that includes previous incidents of knife violence, including robberies.
NYPD arrests man who stabbed on-duty postal worker with knife
The New York Police Department has charged Jaia Cruz with stabbing a U.S. Postal Service worker inside a Harlem deli. (Peter Gerber)
As New York case progresses, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Postal Service law enforcementasking anyone with more information about this case to call investigators at 1-877-876-2455.
“This alleged broad daylight stabbing has shocked the entire community, including the deli workers and customers who witnessed the attack,” Bragg said. “My heart goes out to those who lost Ray Hodge, who was a A postal worker and a father of two.”
The New York Police Department has charged Jaia Cruz with stabbing a U.S. Postal Service worker inside a Harlem deli. (Peter Gerber)
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The family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help pay for funeral expenses.
“Ray touched the lives of everyone he touched,” the fundraiser reads. “Ray was a hard-working, respectful and good man whose life epitomized his values and willingness to help others. Ray touched the lives of many, and we are all lucky to have known him and had the opportunity to love him.”
